Contents

Understand

Formerly separate islands, Yeongjong and Yongyu have been joined together by Incheon's international airport, built between them on reclaimed land. Most visitors head straight from the airport to the city, but the beaches and seafood restaurants here are an interesting way to spend a layover or escape Seoul for a day.

Get in

By plane

Incheon Airport

Futuristic Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항) (IATA: ICN) [1] is South Korea's largest airport and the country's main international gateway. Split into two sections, Korean Air and Asiana[2]use the main Terminal building (gates 1-50), while all other airlines use the Concourse satellite (gates 101-132). The two are connected with the free Starline shuttle system.

The airport is well signposted and caters to all your traveler needs, and even includes a small mall. It's spread out over five floors:

There are many global ATMs and currency exchanges throughout the terminal. Free Internet access is available in the transit zone. The airport is open 24 hours, although most shops are closed around 9PM-7AM.

If you're connecting through ICN to another destination on Korean/Asiana and have over 6 hours to spare, you may be entitled to a free transit tour or hotel — ask at the transit desk. Transit hotels near the airport are listed later in this article under #Sleep.

See Seoul#By plane and Incheon#By plane for details on travel between the airport and Seoul or Incheon city. To connect to Gimpo airport, take the AREX [3] express train (33 min, 3200 won, every 10 min).

For travel around the island, buses 223 and 203 connect the airport directly to Airport Town, and there are limited services to Yeongjong Wharf and the west coast beaches. As distances are short, taxis are also a viable option.

By train

Yeongjong Island is served by the AREX [4] line, which connects Incheon Airport to Gimpo Airport and, from December 29, 2010, Seoul Station as well. Unseo (운서) station is located at Airport Town Square, near the transit hotels.

By bus

A local bus (Line 301, Kang-in, [5]) trundles from Seoul's Yeongdeungpo Station (Line 1) through Gimpo and Incheon Airports to Muuido and Eulwang Beach. At only W5700 this is the cheapest option, but the trip takes one hour and thirty minutes. You can ride this buses at Dangsan station (Line 2), Balsan station(Line 5), Songjeong station(Line 5). From Dangsan Station take exit 1 and walk straight past the Mcdonald's. The bus stop is about a 3-5minute walk down the street. There is another bus line from Dong-incheon station (Line 306, Kang-in, W4100) in incheon. Directions from Yeongdungpo Station: Walk out of exit 3 and down the escalators. You will see a street straight ahead that runs perpendicular to the road that the station is on. Walk down that street (same side as Holly's Coffee) about 2 minutes and you will see a bus stop and you can catch the 301 (a red bus) there.

By ferry

The most scenic option is to take a car ferry from Wolmido in Incheon to Yeongjong Pier at the southeast corner of the island. Ferries run every 20-30 minutes from 7 AM to 9:30 PM, the trip takes 15 minutes and costs just W1500.

There are also direct high-speed and regular ferries directly from Muuido to Incheon's Yeon-an Pier, but they only run three times a day (8 AM, 10:30 AM and 5 PM).

By car

The 300-meter Yeongjong Grand Bridge links the island to the mainland.

Get around

The AREX airport express line runs through the western half of Yeongjong, with Unseo station (6 min, 1000 won from airport) serving the Airport Town Square district.

Bus 202 runs around the south and west coasts of the island hourly, connecting most points of interest including Yeongjong Pier, Jamjindo and the beaches (W1200, hourly).

See

The primary attractions for most visitors are the beaches. Watch out for tides: at low tide, the waters pull back to reveal vast mud flats.

Eulwangni Beach, West coast. Also spelled Ulwangli, this is most popular of the island's beaches, as the water doesn't recede as much here. Motels, restaurants, karaoke rooms and all you need for a Korean-style beach experience. There are fireworks at night on weekends.

To get a little further off the beaten track, head to Jamjindo (take bus 222, which leaves roughly ever half hour from Incheon Airport and is W1000) at the southwest corner of the island and take a ferry (W2000 round trip, roughly every 15 minutes) across to Muuido. Here you will find a fishing village, some cheap seafood restaurants, the quiet Hanagae Beach and the swimming pool-equipped Keunmuri Resort (W1000-2000, open Jun-Sep only).

Silmi island is accessible from Muuido at low tide. It is an uninhabited island with a number of small beaches.

Do

Unseo Sauna. Visitors to New Airport City wishing to enjoy a sauna may do so in the downtown area several blocks away from the subway station. To reach the sauna from Unseo Station, simply cross the street at the light and walk straight two blocks to the next light and turn right. Walk one block and at the next light turn left and cross the street. The sauna is on the 6th floor of the building immediately on your left. Enter the building in the door adjacent to the pharmacy.

Eat

Seafood is the thing to eat here. You can buy your own at the Yeongjong Pier market and have it cooked up in any of the restaurants nearby.

The area around Unseo station has a number of restaurants and bars, and can be a good way to spend an evening. A particular reputation is the Japanese cuisine at Osaka opposite the Hotel Sevilla. The area also has a Lotte Mart for those travelling on a budget and requiring provisions.

Drink

Sleep

Airport Town Square has a series of hotels aimed squarely at overnighting travellers. Many offer free pick-up.

However, for adventurous travellers it can be worth attempting to find a 'love motel'. They range in quality and price, but almost always have rooms available, and are considerably cheaper than the hotels on Yeongjong island, and will have a good sized bed and be clean. Any subway station on the mainland, easy to reach via the Arex train line, will have motels. The word is the same in Korean, and any local will know of their location. Prices range from W40,000-70,000.

Budget

Spa on Air ☎ +82-32-743-7042

A 찜찔방 (jjimjilbang or sauna) that allows you to take communal showers and time to relax in the spas in gender segregated areas. It's located in the basement of the airport. Just look for Sauna on the map.

There are two places to sleep in this sauna
1) One is the gender segregated areas where it is darker. Within these gender segregated areas there are the shared rooms, but with the private rooms they cost ₩12,000 extra.
2) The second area is the lounge (for both men and women), a place where one can watch TV, order drinks, or sleep (if dimmed lights don't bother the customer).

The private rooms are nice, and have an electric outlet. The only drawback is that because the sauna is in the basement, is that Internet cannot be accessed from there. Information of Wi-fi availability in the lounge is unavailable at this time.

Price:

Before 7 PM - 15,000
After 7 PM - 20,000

Private room - 12,000

It's not cheap for a sauna, but it is cheap for an individual compared to paying over 100,000 a night for a luxury suite. But to compensate for the price, it's at the airport, and it's a very nice sauna, nicer than most. It fits the style of Incheon International Airport.

Get out

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!